More than 630 people infected as per official figures, 17 dead and three cities with a combined population of nearly 20 million people on a lockdown — the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan which is a city in China is bringing about bit of a SARS deja vu.

This pneumonia-like virus is kind of like a cousin of the SARS virus that had spread from China around 17 years ago at around the same Chinese holiday season.

Some cases of the coronavirus have also been detected in other countries like Japan, US, Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea. Obviously the fear of this disease spreading has been heightened. But since the Chinese New Year holiday season is coming up on 24 January and the Chinese do what all of us do on holidays — travel!

How does the coronavirus spread? Where all can it potentially spread? What are the symptoms, what are the preventives? Tune in to The Big Story!

Producer and Host: Shorbori Purkayastha

Guest: Professor Ramanan Laxminarayan, Founder and Director of the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy (CDDEP)

Editor: Shelly Walia & Vaishali Sood

Music: Big Bang Fuzz

Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIl

Saavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78C

Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7S

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQ

Deezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng

Castbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur